Brussels — President of the Foreign Relations Committee of Belgian Chamber of Representatives call on China to end the coercion of Tibetan children into state-run boarding schools, to cease repressive assimilation policies and to comply with the PRC’s obligations under international law. She said, “The forced assimilation of nearly one million Tibetan children in Chinese state-run boarding schools, separated from their families, is a violation of international human rights."
Mrs Van Hoof, President of the Foreign Relations Committee of Belgian Chamber of Representatives, issued a statement on November 16, 2023, concerning the one million Tibetan children forcibly placed in Chinese state-run boarding schools and separated from their families and homes. The President also calls on the Chinese government to put an end the state-run boarding schools for Tibetan children, which aims to eradicate Tibetan language, culture, religion and identity.
The statement wrote, "The forced assimilation of nearly one million Tibetan children in Chinese state-run boarding schools, separated from their families, is a violation of international human rights. The United Nations has confirmed this figure. The boarding schools are just the latest act perpetrated by Beijing on Tibetans with the aim to eradicate Tibetan language, culture, religion and identity. These policies are not acceptable."
"Unfortunately, the issue is getting too little attention in Europe. Action is needed in order to prevent a whole generation of Tibetan children to be lost inside the Chinese system. Tibetans remains subjected to a highly sophisticated surveillance and monitoring system, even collecting their DNA including from children without proper consent from their parents evidenced by reports from Citizen’s lab, Human Rights Watch etc," President Van Hoof said.
"I, therefore, condemn this action in the strongest possible terms and call on the PRC authorities to end the coercion of Tibetan children into state-run boarding schools, to cease repressive assimilation policies and to comply with the PRC’s obligations under international law," the President of the Foreign Relations Committee of Belgian Chamber of Representatives said.
